


Home is Where the Heart is

by CMHolden



Series: Riftdale - Line One [5]
Category: Benjaminutes - Fandom, The Riftdale Chronicles (Web Series)
Genre: Domestic, F/M, Miscarriage mention
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-17
Updated: 2019-06-29
Packaged: 2019-08-03 10:18:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 12,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16324352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CMHolden/pseuds/CMHolden
Summary: Sequel to "One Last Miracle"Chief and Susan have settled into domestic life with their overly excited puppy of a son.





	1. Domestic

Chief stood at the calendar, carefully writing in Smith’s next doctor’s appointment. One of the younger officers he worked with stood shirtless above the numbers. Damn these charity calendars. Susan had taken the April picture and framed it in the hallway. Smith stood shirtless with a wide, goofy grin on his face. Chief had stood next to him, shirt unbuttoned but very much still on. In the picture, it looked like he was holding the bridge of his nose in frustration, but in reality, Chief had been laughing softly to himself at the ridiculousness. Susan’s words echoed in his ears. _If I can’t get a nice picture of you smiling, this will have to do._

He sighed, writing in his dentist appointment later in the month. He felt Smith lean on his shoulder.

“Did you write in the carnival?”

“Yes, I wrote that in, see?”

“Why is it in black?”

“… Because… that’s the colour the pen is?”

“But it’s important! You need to write it in red!”

“They’re all important, Smith.”

“Then they should all be in red.”

Once again, Chief’s eyes made like Mick Jagger and rolled. He kept writing on important dates.

“Bring me your diary, Smith.”

Smith nodded, using his walking stick to head up the passage. The front door opened.

“Boys! I’m home,” Susan called, hanging up her coat.

“Hi, Susan!” called Smith from down the hall. Chief gave her a smile from the kitchen. She came up from the side to hug him. Chief turned to peck her on the cheek.

“How was work?”

“Stressful. We had a call in that a kid was in cardiac arrest. Turned out to be someone’s idea of a prank.”

Chief pulled her into a warm hug, kissing the top of her head. She sighed happily.

“Anything to add to the calendar?”

“… Why are you writing in black?”

“That’s the pen I picked up.”

“Huh, I usually do it in red.”

“… Fine, I’ll remember to use red next time.”

“… Did you write down the carnival?”

“Do you think Smith would let me forget that?”

“No, of course not.”

“Your dinner’s in the fridge.”

“Thank you~”

She let him go to get her food. He smiled gently as Smith bought back his diary with the rest of the dates in it.


	2. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Implied ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Chief sighed softly looking at nothing in particular. He held his shirt in his hands, gently bouncing them. Two cold, slightly damp hands rested on his shoulders. Chief jumped away, letting out a small squeak. Susan laughed.

“Why?!”

“I had to wash my hands.”

“…What?”

“What, would you prefer me come back with pee hands?”

“I’d prefer you use the damn hot tap.”

“But then it’d take me longer to get back~”

“Oh no, a whole extra thirty seconds.”

“Exactly! How would you live that long without me~?”

“Warm.” Chief sighed, pulling his t-shirt over his head. Susan smiled, hugging him again.

“You’re still wheezing.”

“I’m old.”

“You should talk to a doctor about that.”

“They keep telling me to take a prostate exam. That has nothing to do with my lungs.”

“No, that’s your age.” She pressed a gentle kiss to his neck, resting her eyes in the corner of his shoulder.

“Staying with me tonight~?” she mumbled softly.

“…You know I’d love to, but… Smith’s nightmares have been getting worse again and… y’know.”

“I know. I don’t mind~” She smiled, pulling him in to kiss. Chief smiled gently, kissing her back. Susan placed her cold hands back on his neck.

“Jesus, Susan!” he hissed, moving away.

“Ok, that one was an accident!”

“… I love you.”

“I love you more~”

“Don’t start, Susan. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

Chief kissed her goodnight before heading back down the hall. Susan climbed into her bed, yawning softly.

\---

“Who’s there?” asked Smith, a slight tremble in his voice.

“It’s just me, Smith,” Chief said, kneeling by his bed.

“…Oh… hey…”

“Another one?”

“…Yeah.”

“Need a hug?”

“… Y-yeah.”

Chief sat next to him, letting Smith rest his head in Chief’s lap. Chief gently stroked his hair, humming softly to him.

“Two weeks until the carnival buddy. Just focus on that.”


	3. Appointment

“And this is why we don’t trust Carnival sushi,” said Chief softly, holding back Susan’s hair.

“The food truck is the place I usually get sushi from…” she said, resting her forehead on her arm. Chief gently rubbed her back as Smith bought her in some water. Susan bought up another wave of regret.

“Maybe it was one of the chicken strips? That’s something else she had that we didn’t.”

“At any rate, you should probably see a doctor so you can get time off work until you’re better.”

“Uugh… yeah…” she said, wiping her mouth on a piece of toilet paper before leaning back on Chief.

“She also tried that fudge.”

“We all tried the fudge, Smith.”

“But she was the only one of us to try the strawberry and cream.” Susan took the water to sip. Chief held her close, sighing softly.

\---

Chief sat with Smith on the couch. Another day of work over, and both were exhausted. Smith had pretty much begun to doze off with his feet in Chief’s lap. Chief patted his legs as he texted Susan.

_How’s the doctor’s appointment go?_

Stupid auto correct.

_How’d*_

He put his phone down as he sighed. He gently moved Smith’s feet to go make dinner.

_I’m just making mac and cheese with salad tonight. Smith’s out of it._

She must still be in her appointment, or she would have responded by now.

He hummed softly to himself, sitting his phone to the side.

\---

Susan sat in her car. She took tests. Three of them. The appointment only took 10 minutes. Then she had to go get a blood test. And that confirmed it. She sat in her car, shocked and confused. Her phone lit up. _Chief_. How was she going to tell him? Would he be ok? Would Smith be ok? Would _she_ be ok?

She’d have to tell him sooner or later. There was no avoiding it. She took a deep breath and turned her car key. Then she turned it back and put her head in her hands. Her phone lit up again. She could just tell him over text. That way she wouldn’t have to be there to watch his reaction.

“Don’t be stupid, Susan. He deserves better than that.”

She rested her head on her steering wheel. Someone knocked on her window. She jumped. Rachel waved to her. She smiled and wound down the window.

“Hey.”

“Hey, Susan, Smith said you had food poisoning. What’s going on?”

“… I just went to the doctor to make sure that’s what it was.”

“Ah, fair enough. Feel like you’re going to be sick again?”

“… Kinda yeah. I’m going to have to head home soon.”

“Can I be a pest and grab a ride? I can walk the rest of the way from you place, I just don’t want to walk from here. Decided to take the fit bit challenge. I regret everything.”

“Sure, hop in.”

Susan let Rachel do most of the talking. Her mind was on other things.

_How the hell am I going to tell him?_


	4. Two Weeks/Late

Chief hummed as he cleared the table. He checked his watch, frowning. Susan should have been back an hour ago. He put her dinner in the fridge, sighing softly.

_Hey, are you ok?_

He washed the dishes, carefully placing them on the dish rack. The shower splattered down the hall as Smith took his nightly shower. He seemed pretty calm at least. Less jumpy than the last few days. Chief hummed along to the little radio on the top fridge.

He made sure Smith got to bed safely. He sat in front of the tv. He watched nothing in particular. He waited until the front door clicked open.

“Hey,” he said as Susan shuffled in.

“Oh! U-uh, hi.”

Chief’s “Oh No Something’s Wrong” senses began tingling.

“How was your appointment?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah fine.”

“Wasn’t it at three?”

“…Yes?”

“Oh, just… it’s nearly seven…”

“Uh… yeah… Saw Rachel, ended up talking to her for a while…”

“… Susan? Is something wrong?”

“What?” she looked at him, “Everything’s fine.”

“Oh… Ok. Want to watch TV with me?”

“I’m going to bed.”

“Oh… Can I join you?”

“I kinda wanna be alone.” She quickly left without another word.

Chief frowned.

He turned off the TV and went to bed.

\---

Susan laid in bed and held her blanket. She desperately wanted Chief next to her. She wanted to tell him everything but _how_? How could she tell him? It wasn’t necessarily _bad_ but what if it was? She sat up. She couldn’t sleep.

\---

Chief got up and went out to the kitchen, getting a glass of water. Susan sat on the couch.

“Susan?”

“What?”

“… You ok?”

“I’m fine.”

“…Right.” He sipped his drink.

“… I said I’m fine!”

“I-I didn’t say anything?”

Her face was saying a lot that she wasn’t. Something wasn’t right. Chief sat next to her.

“Susan?”

“Look… everything’s fine.”

“No… no, it’s not. I can see it’s not.”

“I swear, I’m-”

“Susan, you told me that I needed to tell you when something was wrong. Please, don’t close me out like that.”

“I need time.”

“…Susan… are you dying?”


	5. Reveal/Two Weeks.

Absolute fear danced in Chief’s eyes. Susan felt her eyes well up. This man was terrified for her, and she knew he had the right to know.

“Susan, please, tell me.”

“No… I’m not dying, I promise.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah… It’s not that. I just… There’s a lot to explain… and I don’t know how to.”

“… I… I’m here for you. I don’t know how to help.”

“… I know… Please, just hold me.”

Chief pulled her close. She sniffed into his shoulder. The scent of cinnamon apple wafted from his warm skin. She smiled softly, pulling him closer.

“You used Smith’s soap.”

“Mine was empty.”

She sighed softly, sniffing again.

“Come to bed with me?”

“Of course.”

\---

Susan kept her face buried in Chief’s chest. He gently combed his fingers through her hair and kissed her forehead. His hand rested on her lower back.

“I know you don’t want to talk about it yet… But if there’s anything I can do?”

“… I just need sleep. That’s all.”

“Ok…”

The warm embrace led to a comfortable rest for Susan, but Chief slept uneasily.

\---

Chief awoke to Susan sitting next to him.

“Susan?”

“I’m ready to talk.”

Chief sat up.

“Alright.”

“Don’t panic… I just... there’s a lot to why I’m upset.”

“You don’t have to rush yourself.”

“I know. I need… want to tell you.”

Chief nodded. He tried to pull her close, but she gently pushed him away.

“Sorry, I just need a little bit of room.”

“Yeah, sure…”

“Ok… remember that time we got drunk, and you asked me what the worst time of my life was?”

“Vaguely… yes. You said you went through a shitty divorce. He cheated.”

“… Well. We were married for about three years. We spent the entire time trying to start a family… I… I couldn’t. Every time I actually managed to conceive, I’d lose it.”

“Oh, Susan…”

“A-and… as time went on… he became more distant. I did everything I could. I took the vitamins, I did the exercises, we tried IVF, natural… everything. He came home one night… Basically told me he was leaving. His mistress was pregnant. Made it past the miscarriage danger zone. He was going to be a dad…”

“He left you?”

“… That’s why the divorce hurt so much.”

“… Did you see him or something today?”

“…No… I spoke to the doctor… M-my birth control… I mean, I didn’t want to force you into anything, and we haven’t really been dating that long in the grand scheme of things, and I don’t want you to think I did it on purpose, but I really do wanna be a mum and-”

“Woah, woah, woah. Hold on, slow down. Start again.”

“… Chief… I’m pregnant.”

Chief blinked.

And then made a face like a fish trying to breathe on land.

Then he blinked again.

“Pregnant?”

She nodded, averting her gaze.

“I… I know we haven’t… I mean… we’ve been actually dating for less than a year… but… I don’t know if I’ll ever get the chance again. So… I understand if you don’t want to...”

“Susan, shut up. I’m not going anywhere,” he said softly. Her gaze matched his. His eyes looked at her with that intense softness he got when he was concentrating. He gently stroked her cheek.

“You’re not?”

“Susan, I love you. I’m not leaving you. I’m going to be right by your side.”

Susan’s eyes filled with tears. Chief gently kissed them away.

“I really don’t understand anything people do here in regards to pregnancy,” he mumbled softly.

“Honestly? Me either.”

“Guess we can learn together.”

“I guess so.”

Susan curled comfortably into his arms.

“Michael?”

“Yeah?”

“… Can we not… tell anyone for a while? Not even Smith. It’s really awkward to tell people you’re not having a baby after you announce it.”

“Of course. Whatever you want to do.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too. Don’t scare me like this again, damn it.”

Susan laughed softly, yawning as the anxiety yeeted out of her body, leaving her tired and ready for a nap.


	6. 6 weeks

Susan hummed softly as she sat on Smith’s office chair. Chief hummed back to her, absent-minded, as he typed slowly.

“Something about the Priest?” Susan asked, leaning her head on his desk.

“… Given limited parole, to be placed in the custody of…  Uhh… I think his father?”

“Smith still working with him?”

“Yeah… He’s determined alright… I don’t think it’s helping his nightmares at all, but… He insists he wants to.”

“…Bless him.”

“Mm…”

He went back to typing. Susan watched him from the desk with a soft sigh.

“…You doing ok?” he asked, gently stroking her hair. She nodded, giving him a small smile.

“… I have my first prenatal today.”

“What time?”

“In about an hour.”

“I’ll finish up here, then.”

“Y-you’re going to come with me?”

“…Yes? Should I… Not do that?”

“No… no, please come.” She smiled and kissed his cheek.

\---

Chief stood awkwardly to the side as the nurse took Susan’s blood.

“So, I assume this is the father?” she said, gesturing to him. Susan nodded. “I see~ Quite unusual.”

“… I-I’m sorry?” Chief asked, blinking at her.

“She’s not wearing a ring, love. Most girls I see without rings don’t bring in the father. Especially dads like you.”

“Like me? What?”

“…Y’know…” she gestured to him, before taking the blood away.

“…Is she referring to my skin tone?”

“I… think so?”

“…Is it that I’m older?”

“Maybe. Don’t stress.”

“Too late.”

“Michael.”

“I mean, not stressed… Just confused.”

Susan rolled her eyes, kissing his cheek. Chief sighed and held her until the nurse came back.

“I need you to pee in this, then we’ll get you a pap smear.”

“Oh, joy,” Susan sighed, rolling her eyes.

\---

Susan sighed softly as they walked back to the car, multivitamins in hand.

“It literally says “Pregnancy” on the bottle”

“I know.”

“Smith’s gonna notice.”

“I don’t think he will. He doesn’t go in your room too often. If you leave them in the ensuite, you should be fine.”

“Good point…”

“…We might have to tell him soon though.”

“Why?”

“He’s pretty switched on. It’ll probably be better to tell him before he starts asking questions.”

“Yeah… Yeah…”


	7. 8 weeks

Chief awoke to Susan sniffing.

“Hey… hey, what’s wrong?”

“…I want olives.”

“O-olives?”

“Black olives.”

“… You’re crying because you want… Olives?”

“…yeah,” she sighed, rolling over to face him, “Sorry, I know it’s silly.”

“Do we not have olives?”

“… We have green olives.”

“Would you like me to go get you some black olives?”

“Chief, it’s 2 am.”

“I know, but would you like me to go get you some black olives?”

“You would do that for me?”

“… Of course.”

“…please.”

\---

Chief shivered as he came back, a jar of black olives held as a trophy. He opened the door, sliding out of the crisp cold air, and back into the warmth of home. He grabbed an olive fork and took it to Susan, who pretty much cried with joy. She ate them happily, kissing Chief’s cheek. Chief smiled gently to her.

“You smell like olives already.”

“Good~”

Smith whimpered from down the hall. Chief went to hold him, comforting him back down.

“Chief?”

“Yeah, Smith?”

“… Can talk to you?”

“Of course, is something upsetting you?”

“… are you ok?”

“What do you mean?”

“You seem to be working really hard lately… Sometimes you don’t go to bed before I do and you’re gone again before I wake up.”

“… What makes you say that?”

“I haven’t seen you sleep in nearly a month.”

“… I’m fine, Smith. I’ve been sleeping, I promise.”

“Sleeping on the couch doesn’t count Chief.”

“I know, Smith.”

“…Your hands are cold Chief.”

“I went for a walk.”

“It’s 3 am.”

“I know. I’m ok, I promise.”

“Chief… please tell me what’s wrong.”

“Nothing’s wrong, Smith.”

“P-please don’t lie to me.”

“… I promise nothing’s wrong.”

“Pinky swear?” Smith raised his hand, little finger extended. Chief smiled, joining his pinky and raising the other hand.

“I, Michael Robert Chief, promise you, Johnathan Thomas Samuel Smith, that nothing is wrong.”

Satisfied, Smith rested his head on Chief’s knee, falling back into a light sleep. Chief sent Susan a quick text.

_Smith needs me tonight. All good?_

She quickly responded.

_Yes. I have olives._

\---

“I think we need to tell him,” Chief said, pouring pancake batter into the pan. Susan stood to the side, stirring the coffee.

“Why?”

“…He was upset last night. He’s worried I’m not sleeping enough because I haven’t slept in his room for a while. I didn’t tell him but… I don’t want him to worry.”

“… Well… let's wait until after my appointment tomorrow. If they find the heartbeat, we’ll tell him.”

\---

Susan sat, fidgeting in the doctor’s room. Chief gently held her hand, giving her a soft smile.

“… Scared?”

“Very… This is… this is one of the checkpoints. If they find the heartbeat, miscarriage chance drops to 10%... I’ve only made it past this point once…”

Chief pressed a soft kiss to her hand as the doctor called for her. Susan sighed, holding Chief’s hand as they walked down the hall to the ultrasound room. The doctor gave her a kind smile.

“Hello, sweet pea~! Let’s find this little bundle of joy~” she said, holding the gel, ready to squirt.

Susan laid down, holding her shirt up. The doctor squirted the gel over the scanner, rubbing it across Susan’s belly. Susan watched the doctor’s face as she pursed her lips, picking up her stethoscope. She pressed it against Susan’s belly, listening for a few seconds before going back to the ultrasound.

“…Excuse me for a moment,” she said, leaving the room. Susan rested back on the table, lip trembling as tears filled her eyes.

“Susan?” Chief asked, holding her hand.

“I know that face. She can’t find a heartbeat.” Chief felt his heart break for her, gently rubbing the back of his hand down her cheeks, giving her hushed words of comfort. The doctor came back in with another, who pushed in a second machine.

“Ooh dear, bit emotional pet? Don’t worry, we’ll get this sorted in just a sec~” she said as she moved the other machine out of the way to hook up the new one. She used the new one to scan again, frowning. The other doctor watched over her shoulder.

“… That doesn’t seem any better,” said the doctor softly. The other one shrugged.

“May I?” he said, taking the control. He then listened through the stethoscope. “How very curious…”

“What is?” asked Chief.

“We found a heartbeat with the stethoscope, but the ultrasound image is blurry…” said the first doctor, showing them the screen.

“See, we can see everything, except the baby itself. There’s a healthy gestational sac, and the heartbeat…” said the other, gesturing to the screen, “and we can see roughly where the baby is, but not a clear image like you’d expect… Sir, are you the father?”

Chief blinked and nodded.

“May I borrow your hand?”

Chief looked at him, confused, before offering his hand. The man ran the wand over his hand.

“See? His hand is all fuzzy as well. I remember your other son. I was in charge of ultrasounds when he was in a coma.”

“Oh,” was all Chief said.

“You are 10 weeks pregnant, correct?”

“Uh… well, 8…”

“Right… I think we should follow this one closely… but… at this point we can find the heartbeat, the gestational sac is forming properly, and the yolk seems to be… forming right here… So on the right track. I recommend we do a quick blood test to make sure your hCG levels are good…”

Susan burst into tears again. Chief held her close, confused.

“Susan? This is good news.”

“I-I know…”

“A bit overwhelmed?”

“Y-yeah…”

\---

Susan held Chief’s hand as they walked to the car. She wiped her eyes on her sleeve, pulling Chief’s arm close. He gently held her around the shoulders.

“I… I honestly thought…” she whispered.

“I know…”

“God that was so _stressful_.”

“I know. And we need to avoid that. Stress is bad.”

“I know.”

“Speaking of stress…”

“We gotta tell Smith.”

 

 

 


	8. The Big Reveal

Smith sat on the couch, watching as Susan and Chief sat across from him. _We have something we need to tell you._ Smith watched them. Susan had been crying. That was obvious. He felt his heart race and his vision blur.

“Smith?” Chief said softly.

“Y-yeah?”

“…It’s ok. It’s not bad news.”

“Then why has Susan been crying?” he looked at her. She gave him a gentle smile.

“Smith, I’m pregnant.”

Smith blinked. Huh.

“…Who’s the father?”

“Smith,” sighed Susan.

“Sorry, that was rude. It’s none of my business.”

“Smith, _I’m_ the father,” said Chief. Smith blinked.

“You are?”

“…Yes. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Uh, well… I just… Guess I didn’t think that would… work?”

“W-wait what? What do you mean?”

“Never mind, it doesn’t mat- wait,” Smith leapt up, leaning over the coffee table, “Are you two dating?!”

“Yes, Smith, we’re dating,” laughed Susan, “That’s why Chief sometimes doesn’t sleep in your room.”

“Going back to that, think it wouldn’t work thing, is that my age or my ra-”

“This all makes sense now!” Smith sighed, sitting back onto the couch, “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“I thought you knew Smith, it’s been almost a year now.”

“Nobody told me!”

“Seriously, is it my age or my ra-” Chief began to ask.

“Who else knows?” piped up Smith

“About the baby, or the fact we’re dating?”

“Both!”

“Well,” Susan sighed, “We’ve never really said anything about us dating… and… we’re not really telling anyone else about the baby until it’s gotten a little further along. We don’t… want to jinx it.”

“Of course! I’ll keep my mouth shut!” He ran over to hug them both. “Gosh, I was so worried~!”

And with that, he wandered off.

“…Is it my age or my race though?” asked Chief, confused.


	9. 12 Weeks

Susan sighed, gently patting the little bump in her belly. It wasn’t much, but it was there. There was a small little being in her, growing. No hiccups, nothing worrying. Just a small little baby. It felt weird to touch. She relaxed into the bed, letting out a soft burp, tasting the tacos again. Extra mild, just to be safe. Chief shuffled in, trying to carry the laundry basket on his hip.

“Having trouble~?”

“We can’t all be an hourglass, Susan.”

“I’m not an hourglass, I’m an apple. Maybe a pear”

“I have no idea what that means, nor do I care to.” Chief sat the basket on the bed, taking items out to fold. Susan smiled at him.

“...what?” he asked, sitting at her feet.

“Nothing more attractive than a homely man.”

“… Welp, 6 months from now, I’ll be covered in baby puke, changing a nappy before doing the dishes.”

“Talk dirty to me~”

“Jesus Christ, Susan.” Chief rolled his eyes, sighing. Susan shuffled up to hug him.

“You love me~”

“Obviously~”

“…How much do you love me?”

“I’d take a bullet for you.”

“Would you meet my parents?”

Chief froze. He nodded, holding her.

“That was much less sure than the bullet thing,” teased Susan.

“… What if they bring up the… unsuitability of me as a father?”

“You’re not unsuitable.”

“Everyone else seems to think I am.”

“You’re going to be a great dad,” Susan hummed, kissing his cheek.

“Sure hope so.”

“You will be~”

Chief gently kissed her. Susan strokes his cheek, smiling softly. Chief pulled her up the bed, lying next to her.

“…You just hurt your back, didn’t you?”

“No.”

“Michael, I heard you hiss.”

“…Shut up and cuddle, Susan.”


	10. I honestly am running out of things to name lead up chapters.

Chief typed at his desk, Smith resting on his office couch. The Priest had already broken his parole terms, and he’d only been out for two weeks.

“… Why would he disappear so soon?” Smith mumbled sadly.

“I told you Smith, some people you just can’t help,” Chief sighed softly, turning to face him.

“… I figured he’d last longer.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“… I know.”

Chief gave him a sad smile, finishing up his page. He grabbed his coat, Smith instinctively following close behind. After printing the page, he filed it and emailed a copy to the chief.

“I hate this system,” mumbled Chief, turning off the computer.

“It does seem to lose a lot…” agreed Smith. They quietly headed out to the car together, Smith taking the driver’s seat.

“Please… just remember to go slowly?” Chief begged, strapping himself in. Smith only just received his permit, and he needed to get his hours up but… Oh god, he was horrible at driving.

After a jolty start, Smith had them rolling smoothly.

“When I said to go slowly, I didn’t mean 20 m/h under the speed limit.”

“Sorry, Chief!” He sped up.

“That doesn’t mean 10 over either!”

“Sorry!”

A steady speed of 5 m/h under would suffice. Susan was waiting for them when they got home. She had the smallest of bumps, and from under her clothes, it simply looked like she had gained a bit of weight.

“The lasagne is in the fridge for you Smith, and the fries are ready to be thrown in the oven,” she said, holding her purse awkwardly. “We’ll both have our phones on if you need us and-”

“Susan, I’m nearly 25, I think I can last a few hours alone.”

“I know, but if you _do_ need us, y’know… we’re nearby!” she said giving him a gentle hug. Smith gently rubbed her back.

“I’m going to watch cartoons until I’m hungry, have dinner and then probably watch Netflix,” he said softly, “You guys have fun!”

With that, he trotted inside. Chief gently pulled Susan into a hug.

“Nervous?” she asked.

“A little. Does your mother like daisies?”

“Hates them.”

“Welp… now I’m very nervous.”

“My other mother likes them though.”

“Wait, what?”


	11. Meeting the Family

Chief pulled up to a darling cottage with roses out the front. It looked as if it came directly from a storybook, with the addition of a rainbow flag flying proudly from a flagpole. A woman with orange hair in a short wavy bob stood out the front, pruning one of the bushes. She waved excitedly as she saw Susan, before running inside.

“That was my biological mother.”

“Right… Jillian. Likes daises?”

“Yep. Now, can you remember my other mother’s name?”

“… May?”

“April. She was born in May.”

“Right… And she prefers daffodils.”

“You learn fast~”

“I only got 5 minutes.”

Chief pulled the hand brake on as a taller, darker woman came out to greet them, Jillian in tow.

“Oh, also my family is mixed race,” Susan added. She gently squeezed his arm and kissed his cheek before getting out. Chief blinked before sighing and getting out. He took the flowers to the two women with a smile.

Inside there was Susan’s younger sister that Chief had met at the bar the first time he and Susan first spoke. She introduced herself as May-Belle. There was also a man and woman. The man looked overall disinterested, while the woman looked as if someone shoved an entire lemon in her mouth and several trees worth of sticks up her rear end.

“I’m Kelvin. This is my wife, Stephanie. The two boys are our sons, Decklyn and Dilyn.” As he said that, two young boys came running down the stairs with a remote and a small drone.

“Boys! Say hello to Auntie Su-Su!” called Jillian. Both boys called hello, before disappearing up the back. Chief stifled a laugh. They sat together on an elegant couch, the two mothers sitting opposite. Stephanie scowled at Susan. Chief put his arm around her. It was… weird being affectionate in front of other people. But nice.

“You’ve gained weight,” Stephanie stated, as if it was a perfectly normal comment.

“Uh… a little…” Susan leaned into Chief.

“You’ve got to stop eating so much gluten. It’s killing you.”

“Stephanie, I’m not going gluten-free.”

“No wonder you’ve ballooned.”

Susan sighed. Chief pulled her closer. Stephine looked at him with a judging sneer. When she reached his face, she quickly looked away.

“Well, who here likes pork?” asked Jillian, heading back to the kitchen. April followed closely behind, and soon the delightful smell of well-prepared pig carcass filled the living area. Chief went in.

“Can I help in any way?”

“Oh, no pet! We’ve got this!” Jillian said, setting the table as April carved the roast. She called everyone in. Chief waited for Susan to take a seat before sitting next to her. The table was long, and the whole family was able to sit comfortably. Jillian placed the meal on the table, taking a seat with April. Chief waited until everyone else began taking food, then waited until Susan held something to take it. Susan passed him the corn as well, despite her hating it. She gave him a gentle smile as if to say “I got you. Eat your corn baby.”

Chief ate quietly, listening to one of the two boys talk about how they were able to get on the baseball team.

“So… Michael, right?” asked April.

“Yeah… everyone calls me Chief though.”

“Is… that your rank?” asked April.

“It used to be. But... when we moved here, I had to apply from scratch. Chief’s my last name.”

“We?” asked Jillian with a smile.

“Me and my friend… now son, Smith. Uh… Johnathan Smith.”

“…And where… exactly are you from?”

“New York.”

“… Specifically?”

“Boston.”

“Excuuuse me, if you’re from New York, why are you GREY?” asked one of the boys. Jillian leaned down to tell him that you can’t just ask people about their skin colour.

“Oh… uh well… Smith and I came here… from a world where everyone is different shades of grey.”

The two younger parents looked at him like he was crazy. The head women smiled politely, while the children accepted the answer with no further questions. Chief quietly ate, keeping his head down.

Once dinner had finished, Chief offered to do the dishes.

“No need pet, we have a dishwasher!” Jillian said happily. April began making the adults hot drinks.

Chief turned, quietly whispering to Susan. “What’s a dishwasher?”

“You don’t know what a dishwasher is?” asked Stephanie with a sneer.

“…Well… no. I’ve never heard of them.”

“Chief’s home… existence… was kinda still in their 40’s?” Susan explained, “Dishwashers didn’t exist back then.”

“So, did you have one of those boxy TVs?” asked one of the boys.

“No… I didn’t have a television.”

“NO tv?” the other boy cried.

“Well… Television finished at 6 pm, at the latest, and most nights I didn’t get home unt-”

“TV used to _finish_?!” said the first boy, his pure little world shattering before his eyes.

“What did you _do_ all day?”

“Well… When I wasn’t working, I’d read the newspaper.”

Both boys looked flabbergasted. April smiled behind her hand.

“But… it only has one page of comics.”

\---

Susan hummed softly as she sat at the table. Kelvin had taken Chief outside to help on his restoration car. Which, in itself was amusing seeing as Chief only recently got his head around basic modern car maintenance. She happily ate her ice cream with chocolate sauce and nuts.

“That’s full of sugar,” said Stephanie.

“…It’s ice cream. Of course it is.”

“Look… Susan... _honey_ …” the most condescending bitch tone available was always in great supply, “I know that you’re lonely and all, but don’t you think it’s a bit early to gain… domestic bliss weight?”

“I guess that’s why you’re so skinny,” huffed Susan under her breath.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“I think it’s fine to gain a little weight, Su-Su…” said Jillian, coming to sit down, “I gained weight within a week of dating your mother.”

“Mom kept feeding you the whole time,” said May-Belle, joining with her bowl.

“I didn’t know how else to flirt.”

“Susan, you’re going to scare him off getting so comfortable so quickly,” said Stephanie.

“Right, excuse me for a moment.”

\---

Chief stared down at the car engine. Witchcraft. 1950’s never-seen-this-before-in-my-life witchcraft.

“So… what can you recommend?”

“… My cellular telephone has a Google on it. Maybe we can ask that.”

“Huh. So, anyway, what are your intentions with my sister?”

“Uh… I’m sorry?”

“My sister. What are your plans?”

“We’re… going to lunch at a café tomorrow?”

“Don’t play dumb with me. Long-term.”

“… We’re dating.”

“Duh. Look, my sister’s had her heart broken enough, and I’m telling you this right now. I am an ex-cop, and I will rip your balls off and staple them to your chin.”

“… I am a current cop, and that… is a weird threat.”

“They can call you officer Chin-Balls.”

Susan came up.

“I’m gonna tell them, is that cool with you?”

“Ah… yeah, it’s your call.”

“Alright, I love you.” She kissed his cheek before leaving.

“What was that about?”

“… She’s pregnant.”

“…Who’s the father?”

\---

“Ok, so. There’s a reason I’m gaining so much weight.”

“Because you eat like there’s no tomorrow?”

“… I’m eating a lot because I’m eating for two.”

Jillian stood with a gasp, “You’re pregnant?!”

April stood too. Susan nodded with a smile. Jillian hugged her, excitedly.

“How far along are you?” asked April.

“14 weeks. I’m past the danger stage.”

The two mothers held her close with excitement.

“So, who’s the dad?” asked Stephanie.

“… Chief is.”

“Really? And he didn’t propose?”

“…W-what?”

“It’s what anyone decent would do,” said Kelvin, coming in.

“Kelvin, that’s enough,” snapped April.

“What? He’s an older guy. He’s chosen to not settle down, why exactly? And he doesn’t have the decency to commit now?”

“I am committed.”

Chief stood behind them, like a small thunderstorm threatening to strike down everything in his path.

“… So why aren’t you married then?”

“My first wife died due to complications after giving birth to our daughter. My daughter died a few months later because her nanny slipped arsenic into her formula. As for why I haven’t proposed to Susan, I’m not really one for _shotgun weddings_.” He glared at the two offenders.

Stephanie blinked violently, Kelvin choking on his words. Chief left quickly, careful to not slam the door behind him.

“Can’t you two pull your head out of your asses for two seconds?” begged Susan, tears forming in her eyes. She followed Chief out.

He sat on the driver’s seat with his legs out the door, face buried in his hands.

“I’m sorry,” he said softly, looking up to her.

“It’s not your fault.”

“I lost my temper.”

“I can’t blame you.”

Chief stood to hold her, gently stroking her hair.

“… Why can’t they just be happy for me?”

“Because they’re too miserable for themselves.”

“I know… Chief, about what my brother said…”

“I know, it’s normal to propose.”

“Chief, I…”

“It’s just that… I didn’t want to propose too early and scare you off…”

“Wait, what?”

“And when I started getting the feeling that it was about time, you announced you were pregnant.”

“Michael? W-what are you saying?”

“I didn’t want you to think I was just proposing out of… the need to. I wanted it to be because I love you.”

“M-Michael?”

“And I don’t want to propose because your family says I have to. I want it to be special. I want it to be worthy of you. But all the proposal stuff here is so… confusing.”

“I don’t need a big proposal.”

“But you deserve one. I wanted to do it properly, but I couldn’t afford to do the… quarter of your salary thing. But I remembered you saying how much you hated the diamond trade, so I chose a white sapphire one. The woman there said that only a cheapskate would propose with it and I… got scared. And I can’t think of how to do it, but I know I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

“…Michael?”

“I’m not proposing like this. But I will. I promise.”


	12. Chief tells Kelvin to get copulated in the kindest possible way.

Susan and Chief walked in, holding hands. Kelvin sneered at him.

“Baby finished throwing a tantrum?”

“Kelvin!” snapped April.

“No, it’s fine. I came back in to apologise for my behaviour.”

“Oh, sweetheart, I completely understand,” cooed Jillian, hugging him. Chief awkwardly hugged her back.

“I’m not sure if I want him to stick around,” said Kelvin.

“Kelvin!”

“He’s from the damn ’50s, mom! Susan deserves better than that!”

“When I came here it was the mid-forties.”

“What, so you’re going to have her doing all your cooking and cleaning?”

“… We already do chores together.”

“Look, maybe I just don’t want an old-timer in my family. Probably racist, homophobic. The works.”

Chief blinked at him. He opened his mouth to say something, before closing it again.

“What, can’t defend yourself?” asked Stephanie.

“… I helped two women go out together by pretending to be dating one, Smith pretending to date the other. And I was raised by a black woman. We just came in to say goodbye, we both have work tomorrow.”

Susan wished her mothers, sister and nephews a farewell, Chief taking over driving. Susan sat next to him.

“I’m sor-”

“Don’t. I was three seconds from kicking him in the nuts,” She sighed, waving out the window as Chief drove. “I didn’t know you had a mixed-race family.”  
“Wasn’t allowed to call her my mother for years outside of my house. After my father died, she lost everything. Legally, she was nothing more than a servant.”

“Wow…”

“I’m glad your family can exist. That would have been a death sentence back home.”

Susan gently held his hand.

\---

Smith passed out on the couch somewhere between the Nihilism advertisement and a re-run of Harris and Hog. Chief chuckled, turning off the TV and tucking him in. He went up to bed with Susan, gently holding her from behind.

“Hey~”

“Hey.”

“Bedtime?”

“I’ve got the fan on for you.”

“Damn these heat flashes.”

Chief gently patted her small bump. She held her hands over his.

A small child. The smallest child was growing. Soon it would stop growing on the inside and come out. Susan smiled.

“Damn, I’m excited.”


	13. 16 Weeks

Chief hummed to himself, taking three jars of pickles from the shelf and placing them in his trolley. Smith picked up a bag of pork rinds and threw them in as well.

“Anything else?”

“Olives. Black and green.”

Chief took a glance at the cart. A jug of orange juice, two jars of peanut butter (one for spreading, one for directly into mouth), three packets of liquorice, honey, pretzels (one packet hard, two packets soft), a litre of yogurt, salt and vinegar chips and as many tomato-based products as they could get their hands on.

“This kid’s going to come out red at this rate,” Chief mumbled, pushing the cart down the aisle to grab their regular groceries. Smith followed behind, cane in hand.

“Hey Chief, they have tomato sauce flavoured chips. Should we grab them too?”

“Might as well… Might stop her from drinking all the pasta sauce.”

Smith nodded and threw them in, moving ahead to grab their cereal.

“Are we under budget?” he asked as he found Chief standing next to a stand of different kinds of pasta.

“Yeah, getting close though.”

“Cereal’s on special, so that saves about $2.38 Grabbed some more oats as well. They were down to $1.89”

“That’s good. I think that’s everything.”

Chief pushed the trolley to check out. He began loading them onto the conveyor belt for the woman to scan. Smith’s phone jingled. He stepped away for a second, before wandering off to an aisle. Chief rolled his eyes, opening his phone to load his digital coupon cards. 7 texts from Susan and two missed calls. Oops. He tried to call, only to be given the busy tone. Smith came back, holding a packet of toilet paper.

“All good Susan, I’ll let him know,” he said as he hung up. “She says you need to get your hearing tested.”

“… I put it on silent earlier and forgot to turn it back on.”

“She figured that was the case, so she says that you’ve got to check before you leave the car.”

“…Yeah, yeah,” Chief grumbled, handing over the rewards card. The lady smiled as she scanned it, tapping in their discount. Under budget with $20 to spare. Boo yeah.

Chief paid by the little magic rectangle, loading the bags back into the trolley and taking them to the car.

\---

Susan looked like a very fat, very tired sloth. She stared at herself in the mirror across from the bed, watching her tummy for movement. Nothing to be seen from the outside, but damn this child wriggled. She reached over to turn the fan back up, lying in nothing but a bralette and some pyjama shorts. She heard the front door open and the rustling of paper bags. Boys were home. She heaved herself up and waddled to the toilet, before waddling back and lying back on the bed. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath through her nose. Tomatoes!

“Miiiicheal?!” she called out.

“I’ll be there in a second!”

She smiled as she heard footsteps come up the hall. Chief rounded the door with an assortment of snacks on a tray.

“I mixed the orange and tomato juice in this cup, this cup is full of garlic and tomato pasta sauce and this one is pickle juice,” he said, pointing to the respective glasses. The tray also had small bowls of olives, cubes of tomatoes, liquorice, ice cream and pickles with a bottle of tomato sauce.

“Oh, you’re amazing! I could kiss you!”

“Please do that before you eat this. I don’t want to taste most individually, let alone together.”

Susan chuckled, pulling him in to kiss gently.

“Chief’s got a girlfriend! Chief has got a giiiiirlfriend!” sang Smith from the passageway.

“Smith’s going to get a foot up his ass if he doesn’t cut it out.”

“Chiiiiiiief’s goooooot a giiiiiiirlfriend! And Susan’s got a booooyfrie-ow!”

Smith rubbed his arm where Chief’s shoe hit him. Chief help up the other one. Smith quickly skittered down the passage. Susan laughed, taking a pickle from the plate and dipping it in the pasta sauce.

“I love you~!”

“I love you too. Not going to love you breathing on my face tonight. But… I love you.”


	14. 23 Weeks

Chief awoke to Susan shaking him violently. He sat up.

“Susan? Are you ok? What’s wro-”

Susan grabbed his hand and placed it on her belly. He felt something move against his hand.

“… Can… can you feel it? I wasn’t sure but I thought I could feel it with my hand.”

“I can… I can feel it,” Chief said softly. He felt something press against his hand firmly. He gently pressed back. Susan kissed his cheek.

“Not long now~,” she said softly.

“… I’ve got to go finish painting the nursery,” Chief declared. He got out of bed.

“Honey, where are you going?”

“…To… finish painting the nursery.”

“Right, two problems with that. One, Smith is sleeping in there because we haven’t moved his bed into his new room yet, remember?”

“Oh, right.”

“Secondly, it’s 2 am. Come back to bed.”

“Yeah… Ok…”

\---

“Aaaaaugh! Fuck this! Fuck all of this!” screamed Chief.

Susan sighed, taking a bottle of Sprite from the fridge, heading to the nursery.

“Cot giving you troubles?” she asked. Chief sat against the wall, holding his thumb in his mouth. Susan offered him the bottle. He put his thumb in the grove at the base to make a make-shift drinkable ice pack.

“…Thanks, doll.”

“Doll? Aww, that’s the first time you’ve called me a pet name~”

Chief huffed, turning dark grey.

Smith sat across from him, with a soft smile.

“…Would… Would you like piece 16A _now_ , Chief?”

“I’d honestly prefer to jump out a window at the moment.”

“… So… Piece 5 then?”

“… Piece 5.”

 


	15. It's A...

“So, how are you going to reveal the gender?” asked Jillian, placing a cup of tea down on the coffee table.

“We’re not sure yet…” said Susan, sipping on her soda.

“Do you have any preferences, Michael?” asked April.

“… We didn’t really do gender reveals back home. There was no reliable way to tell before the kid was born so we just… waited.”

“You could fire a coloured blank,” said Kelvin, looking at his phone, “That’s what Stephanie and I did.”

“Yeah, no. I don’t shoot a gun for something like that,” said Chief, “I like the cake idea. Or the balloon ones.”

“The cake is more environmentally friendly,” said Jillian, “Unless you do the popping one with biodegradable confetti inside.”

“I still think the blank’s the best idea,” Kelvin said.

“The cartridge hit Stephanie in the face.”

Chief sighed. The doctor had told Smith the gender. He was going to organise it, but he didn’t know what to do. Honestly, he seemed more excited than Chief felt. Susan seemed to really want it. Chief didn’t care how, honestly. He would have been happy to wait until the child was born.

“So, have you thought of any names?”

“Ooh... well, we liked Donovan or George for a boy,” Susan said thoughtfully, “But we haven’t really spoken about girl names.”

“Ew, Donovan is such an _ugly_ name,” said Stephanie, coming to sit next to her husband.

“Donovan was my father’s name,” said Chief, flatly. Stephanie blinked, but decided to ignore him.

“… How about I get us some more snacks,” Jillian said, quickly ducking out.

\---

Chief stood awkwardly to the side, looking around at the blue and pink decorations. The baby shower. He quietly put down the cupcakes with fondant babies on top. Everything was set up.

“… Alright. So… when do you need me back?”

“We’ll be doing the reveal at 1.”

“…Ok. I’ll… I’ll be here then, I guess…”

Susan smiled gently and kissed his cheek.

 _We can’t have **men** at a baby shower. It’s against **tradition**!  _ Stupid Stephanie and her stupid traditions. Smith had organised most of the reveal, but Stephanie insisted that she took over for the actual shower. It was the most over-the-top nonsense that Susan had seen. Smith smiled as he helped hang up the last of the balloons.

“Alright! I’m done! Let’s go Chief!”

Chief sighed, passing Smith the keys.

“Good luck, Smith! Have him back by 1!”

“Will do, Susan!”

“And try not to take his head off with whiplash this time!”

“I won’t!”

“He won’t take my head off, or he won’t try?” mumbled Chief, following him out. Susan chuckled as the first of the guests arrived.

\---

Susan sat awkwardly as Stephanie recounted her entire pregnancy. Jillian and April looked as if they were both ready to fall asleep. Rachel quietly ate another cupcake. Two women, who Susan had never met before, looked absolutely enthralled. Beattie placed her cup down just that little bit too hard.

“Y’know, that’s a great story _Steph_ ,” she said forcefully, causing Stephanie to recoil from the nickname as if someone had just offered her a hamburger made from donkey placenta, “but I think it’s time we heard from the woman of the evening. Susan, tell us what’s going on with you~!”

Stephanie went to open her mouth, but was quickly silenced by Rachel talking through a mouthful of cake.

“Yessh! Any creevings?” she said. Jillian and April both looked much more interested, while the two women that Stephanie invited instantly lost interest in what was happening in the room.

“Oh, yeah. Pickles and pasta sauce. Chief made a giant pot of sauce for me, so we have a bunch of jars. It’s saved us a fortune, to be honest.”

“Oh, so… he’s helping you then?” Stephanie asked, somewhat bitter.

“…Yeah. He’s taken up a lot of the household chores. I’ll be on maternity leave soon, but he’s looking into paternity so he can keep helping me.”

“Can you really afford to both be off work?”

“It’s paid.”

“What?”

“Family leave. We get paid for it. But because we’re both working for the same company, Chief’s looking into when he can leave.”

“So… he’s going to stay home with you? While you’re pregnant?”

“… I mean, he wants to. Why?”

“…I just think that’s _swell._ ”

Awesome, Stephanie made things weird again.

“…Why don’t we play a game?” suggested Jillian, quickly scrambling to save the situation.

\---

Chief took his coat off at the door, heading out to the back, Smith following close behind. April was telling a tale about her pregnancy with May-belle, Jillian filling in the missing details. The whole family, including the two boys, were waiting, making a small audience for the reveal. Susan smiled.

“Hey! How’d it go?” she asked.

“Well, we have a new dent in the bumper. But… it wasn’t Smith’s fault. So, pretty good.”

“What’s the dent from?”

“I nearly killed someone!” cried Smith.

“A kid lost control of his bike. It rolled into the car.”

“I could have hurt them really badly!”

“If they were on it, yes.”

Susan, sighed, softly chuckling. “Well, let’s reveal this gender, yes?”

Chief nodded. Smith went behind the house, pulling out a target, setting it up above a long-emptied flower bed. He pulled out a hard clay ball, about the same size as a baseball.

“So… is this one that you smash, and it makes the powder?” Chief asked, watching Smith carefully line the target with the flower bed.

“Yes… but it’s also a seed bomb. So, it’ll grow a bunch of flowers that are good for bees!”

“Oh Smith, that’s so pretty!” Susan exclaimed. Smith smiled, passing the ball to Chief. Chief smiled gently, patting his shoulder.

“Oooh, hold on, let me get the camera!” called Jillian, grabbing her phone. Chief waited patiently. Susan watched excitedly.  As soon as he was given the green light, he pelted the ball at the target. It bounced off harmlessly.

“Come on, put your back into it!” called Kelvin.

The second attempt dented the ball, but it didn’t quite burst.

Chief took a deep breath. He readied for the third throw, throwing it as hard as he could.

The ball burst into a pink puff, the clay pieces dropping to the ground.

“A girl!” cried Susan, “It’s a girl!”

Chief smiled, turning to hold her as her family cheered. Smith breathed a sigh of relief.

“I hate keeping secrets. Next time, don’t ask me.”

\---

Chief smiled softly, watching Susan try to take her shoes off. Her brother sat across from her, his wife sitting next to him with her arms crossed. Chief got down in front of her, helping her take them off.

“Thank you, dear.”

“Want me to get the foot bath out?”

“…please?”

Chief nodded, going to get a small foot bath. He put warm water in it with some Epson salts, placing it at her feet. She smiled as she put them in.

“You spoil me,” she said softly, stroking his hair as if her mothers weren’t watching intently.

“… While I’m down here…” he said softly, pulling a little box from his pocket. He opened it to reveal a simple ring with a small gem.

“M-Michael?”

“I figured I put it off long enough. I know it might be a little bit before we actually get time to… but wi-”

“Yes!”

“Wow, not even going to let him finish his sentence, Su-Su?” May-belle said with a smile. Susan rolled her eyes, pulling Chief up to kiss, all three young boys making noises of disgust.

 

 

 

Smith was joking more than the younger two.


	16. The Last Day of Work

Chief happily washed the dishes as Smith took down the decorations. Susan sat at the table, gently stroking the soft baby blanket her mothers had given her.

“… So close. Only eight weeks of work left… eleven weeks later… then she’ll be here…”

“I know what you mean…” muttered Chief, flicking his hands into the sink. Smith put the streamers and balloons in the bin with a soft yawn.

“I feel like a grandpa… I already want to go to bed.”

“Smith, it’s nearly nine.”

“And I feel old! Just like you, Pops!”

Chief took his shoe off, throwing it at Smith as he darted down the hall. Chief rolled his eyes.

“We do have the morning shift though, so I should go to bed,” he muttered, gently stroking Susan’s hair. Susan nodded with a small hum, holding her arms up for him to help her out of her seat.

\---

Smith had gotten himself to sleep with no problem. Chief made sure the bedside table had snacks in it for Susan before climbing in next to her.

“…We haven’t spoken about names for a girl.”

“No… I like Amelia, but that was Smith’s sister’s name.”

“Courtney’s a nice name… or Bella… maybe Analise?”

“No.”

Susan jumped, looking at him, shocked.

“Sorry… Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap…”

“It’s alright… I guess you really don’t like the name…”

“No, no. It’s a beautiful name… It’s just that… It was my… last daughter’s name.”

“Oh.”

“I’d just feel weird reusing it, that’s all.”

“That’s fair… well, what about Alyssa? Or Claire?”

“Both of those are nice…”

“Yeah…” Susan yawned, snuggling down into the bed. Chief smiled and turned out the lights for her, lying next to her with a smile.

\---

“Last day of work~,” Racheal said, bringing Susan a little parcel.

“Indeed~” Susan agreed, hanging up her headset. She took the parcel. “What’s this?”

“Something we all chipped in for. Thought you’d like it.”

Susan smiled gently. She opened the parcel to show a little onesie. On the front was printed “My Daddy is the GRAY-test.”

“Oh, Rachel!”

“Beattie did the printing. Do you like it?”

“It’s perfect~ I’m sure Chief will love it too!”

“We’re just happy you guys. Not going to lie, I’m surprised he’s the father.”

“…Can you say why? Seriously, people keep saying that.”

\---

Susan chuckled to herself, taking her things with her. She texted Chief on her way out.

_I have the answer to the pregnancy-long question. I’ll be home after I stop in to see the nurse._

She smiled to herself as she got in the car, gently patting her belly. She put the car into reverse and looked into the mirror.

 

There was someone sitting in the backseat, face covered.


	17. Determination

“She should have been home hours ago…” Chief mutter, trying her phone again. Smith frowned, hanging up his phone.

“… Rachel said she left on time… and her car isn’t there anymore.”

“Where could she be?!”

“Jenny’s said she’s going to trace Susan’s usual route home, Rachel’s going to start an investigation if she’s not found.”

Chief nodded, placing his phone on the counter top. She shouldn’t be driving alone. She was already heavy and having trouble reaching the peddles. Oh god, what if she had an accident? What if she was badly hurt?

“Chief?” Smith said softly.

“What?”

“… I’m here if you need to talk.”

“I don’t need to talk. I need to find her.”

Chief took his keys and began driving.

\---

Susan wasn’t anywhere on her usual route home. Nor had she gone to any stores in the area. Chief had been driving around aimlessly for hours, hoping to find a hint of her. His phone buzzed with Smith’s ringtone.

“Any news?” he asked, skipping all pleasantries.

“Jenkins and Perkson are on the case. They’ve determined that the car was driven away quickly.”

“So, she may have been followed?”

“… Possibly. It’s too early to tell at this point.”

“Alright, I’ll head down an-”

“No, Chief.”

“…What?”

“Chief, you’re not allowed on this case… You’re too personally involved.”

“Which is why I need to be on it. I need to find her.”

“I’m sorry, Pops, chief’s orders. Just… come back home. That’s all we can do tonight.”

“…I need to find her Smith.”

“You won’t be able to find her at all if you drop from exhaustion. Come home, I’ll make you some tea.”

“… I can’t Smith. I’m sorry.”

He hung up, continuing to drive.


	18. When Family Fights

Chief stormed in, tearing through the living room, muttering to himself. Smith quietly shuffled in.

“Smith, have you seen my wallet?”

“You were out all night, Chief.”

“No shit, where’s my wallet?”

“If I tell you where it is, you’ll go back out.”

“I need fuel Smith, where is it?”

Smith stood in silence. Chief sighed angrily before moving towards the hallway. Smith stood in front of him.

“Move, Smith.”

“Chief, I…”

“MOVE, Smith!” Chief shoved him to the side. Smith felt his heart race through his ears and his nose tingle with the scent of anxiety. He took a big deep big boy breath and followed Chief as he pulled apart his bedroom.

“Chief, you can’t go ba-,”

“Shut up, Smith. Where is my wallet?”

“Chief, please listen to me!”

“No, you listen to me!” Chief bellowed. Smith jumped back, staring into Chief’s eyes. His hair was uncombed. He’d lost his tie and jacket somewhere, likely in the car. His eyes were wild, like a starving caged animal trying to claw its way out of its entrapment to reach a meal just out of reach. “Susan is out there, probably hurt. I need to bring her home!”

“You can’t help her like this, Chief. Driving around erratically just wastes fuel.”

“It’s better than sitting here!” Chief said, jabbing a finger in his chest. “It might be fine for you, but not for me!”

“That’s not fair, Chief.”

“It’s like you don’t want to find her!”

“I _do_ want to find her!”

“Sure as hell good at hiding it!”

“Chief, you’re just upset and you’re taking it out on me, and I get it, but I’m trying to help.”

“You can help me by telling me where my wallet is.”

“…You’ll have to hit me first.”

“Smith, don’t do this.”

“Come on Chief, you might as well hurt me physically. I’m going to have to be the one to explain to Susan that you died because you were driving stupid.”

“Smith.”

“And then I’m gonna have to explain to your daughter why she doesn’t have a daddy.”

“Smith!”

“I mean, I guess Susan could explain it to her, but it’d probably hurt her again. So, go ahead. Hit m-.”

**_THUD_ **

Smith laid on the floor, blinking and dazed. Chief stood over him.

“Where’s my wallet, Smith?”

“Y-you actually hit me…”

“Where is it, Smith?”

“Y-you hit me…” tears flowed from his eye. He sat himself up, feeling the soft red trickle from his nose. Chief seemed to freeze.

“… I have to find her, Smith.”

“I-I didn’t think you’d…” Smith sobbed into his hand.

“Oh god… Smith I…” Chief dropped to his knees, gently holding Smith’s wrist. Smith pulled away from him, going to the bathroom to get some tissues and hold them to his face. Chief followed him, staring down at his hands.

“Smith, I’m so sor-,”

“Save it. Your mind’s elsewhere. Your wallet’s in your old bedside table,” Smith muttered between sobs. Chief gently sat next to him.

“Smith, I don’t know what got into me… I’m sorry, I really am.”

“…You weren’t supposed to actually hit me. I just thought that’d… shock you enough to make you come to your senses.”

“… I’m sorry.”

“I heard you the first time. Go get your wallet. It’s obviously more important right now.”

Chief sat quietly on the floor, watching Smith to see if he had a concussion. Smith refused to make eye contact with him. Chief went up the hall, checking in the drawer. Low and behold, there it was. He picked it up, turning back to the door. He felt something smack him across the cheek. The blow knocked him to the floor. He felt something click around his wrists, hearing the other end click against the bed end.

“Smith?” Chief exclaimed. Smith stood over him, nose still dribbling, holding the fluffy handcuff keys.

“I can’t let you go back out Chief. But I’ll go look for her. At least then we don’t have to worry about you going off the road.”

“Smith, you can’t leave me locked up here.”

“There’s snacks in the bottom drawer and water bottles under the bed.”

“And what if I need to go to the bathroom?”

“I didn’t say all the bottles were full. I’ll be back in a few hours.”

Smith left Chief rattling against the bed bars, taking the keys and heading out.


	19. The Aftermath

Chief huffed, hearing the front door shut as Smith came in. He had gotten his hand out of the cuff not long after Smith left, but he found himself sitting on the floor anyway.

Smith didn’t come straight up. Chief could hear him shuffling around the main living area, occasionally stopping at the entrance to the hallway, but never coming any closer.

Chief pulled himself up, sighing. Smith wouldn’t come down until he had to. He’d have to go talk to him.

Smith was in the kitchen, quietly looking at something on his phone. He looked tired and troubled. The floorboard creaking under Chief’s foot caused Smith to jump up, holding his cane like a weapon.

“…Jesus, Smith… did I do that?” Chief asked, gently approaching Smith. His nose had a dark purple bruise across the bridge. Smith flinched when Chief raised his hand to cup his cheek.

His boy flinched away from him. His boy, the one who forgave him immediately after he shot him. The one who gladly put his life on the line for Chief, multiple times. The trust, the bond… everything they had built over the course of their friendship, gone in an instant. One stupid instant of anger and stupidity.

“J-john?”

“I’m fine… I see you got out of the cuffs…”

“… They… they have a safety release…”

“… Right… kinda… pointless for handcuffs.”

“… Yeah.”

Smith awkwardly sat back down, seeming uncomfortable with Chief’s presence.

“…Would you like a hot drink?” Chief offered.

“I’m fine.”

“I can make you a hot chocolate?”

“I don’t want one.”

“I think we still have a few marshmallows le-,”

“I don’t want it Chief, I’m fine!” he snapped

Chief flinched. He lowered himself to sit next to Smith.

“Smith… I’m really… really sorry…”

“The chief’s taken you off duty until further notice,” he said flatly, as if he was taking note of the weather.

“W-what?! Why!?!”

Smith raised an eyebrow and pointed to his nose. Chief huffed.

“The best thing you can do is sit by and wait… I’ll give you every update I can. I promise.”

\---

Susan raised her head, groggy and disorientated. She took a few painful breaths, coughing to clear her lungs.

“…Welcome…Back… Agent…Lucidity.”


	20. Good Morning

“W-who are you?” Susan asked. She tried to hold her hand up against the light in her eyes, but it was tied to the chair.

“You… gave… us… quite… the… scare…” the presumedly male person said, pacing behind the light, “But… I see… you… succeeded…”

“S-succeeded… wha-”

“Intuition… reverse… the amnesia.”

“Yes sir.” A physically smaller man began pressing buttons, followed by a low pitch whine. Susan sat with a confused look on her face.

“… Agent… Intuition… I said… reverse her amnesia…”

“I tried sir. It’s not working.”

“…What?”

“I mean, she could have a slow reinstatement… but I’m not sure if the machine is working at all.”

“…This… does put… a damper on… our plans…”

“C-can I go home?” Susan asked, trying to see the taller man’s face.

“… Intuition… Take…. Lucidity… and… get her caught up… I’ll be… in my… office…” the taller man turned on his heel and left. The smaller man, apparently “Intuition” sighed, turning the bright light down.

“Sorry about him… you know how he is…”

“I…I really don’t… who is he? Who are you?!”

Intuition looked at her, pleading in his eyes, “See… see if you can remember…”

Susan stared at the stranger’s face. “I… I really don’t know who you are…”

“Oh… oh dear… Well… Uh… I’m… I’m Intuition… You used to call me… Tuuie…”

“Tuuie?”

“Yeah… We used to be… pretty close.”

“W-why am I here? I don’t… I don’t know what’s happening?”

“Well, we knew there’d be problems when you left, but we’ve hit a real snag in the program you coded. We need your help.”

“Coding? I can’t code!”

“Well… I mean I can see why you’d think that… We… y’know we couldn’t take the risk...”

“… I-I don’t… I don’t understand…”

“It’s ok… I uh… I guess we’ll just have to wait… Come on, I’ll get you out and you can re-meet everyone.”

\---

“That’s Vibrancy, Divination, Opulence and Inkling. Known as Vib, Vinny, Oppy and Ink, respectively.”

“Right… and… what do they do?”

“Field agents. Vib’s the brains, Vinny’s the brawn and Oppy is the beauty.”

“What does that make Inkling?”

“Chief of Snack distribution. Also, he erases the files.”

“Oh… Important then…”

“Yeah… anyone ringing a bell?”

“…No, I can’t say they are…”

“Oh… maybe... maybe it just needs a little longer…”

He lead her to the cafeteria, getting her some juice.

“So… mission success then, huh?”

“What? What… What mission?”

“…To bring back a grey to study? That was the last mission you were assigned before you left.”

“Bring back a grey?”

“Well, I guess you only bought back half a grey… but I guess we can still study it…”

“Stu- you want to study my daughter?!”

“Well, not me. Agent Doctor Immunity, probably. She’s more medically inclined, so she’d cause less damage.”

“Absolutely not!”

Intuition startled. “You… don’t want to help the cause?”

“I don’t even know what the cause is! I’m not letting you study my baby!”

“I’m sure you’ll change your mind once you remember.”

“Like hell I will! I wanna go home!”

“Wha- Lucy, you live here, remember?”

“No I don’t! I wanna go home to my fiancé!”

“Fiancé?” Intuition looked at her. “Th-the father?”

“Of course, the father!”

“So… you’re marrying the Chief, huh? As in… the guy who’s kinda fucking everything up?”

“I don’t give a damn about all this shit! I don’t even know what’s going on!”

Intuition glowered at her.

“I see… So you’d betray us all for someone else? Betray me?”

“I. Don’t. Know. You!”

“… I see… well, perhaps you should talk to Scry then… She’d be able to fill you in.”

“… I… I don’t want… I don’t want…to be…” she softly sobbed. Agents looked over to her, many confused.

“… Lucy… I know you’ve been undercover for a while…”

“I’m Susan… I’m Susan Grade…”

“… But it’s time to wake up now…”

\---

Chief lied on the bed, holding Susan’s pillow close to himself. He heard Smith gently knock, but didn’t respond.

“Chief?” Smith said softly, opening the door a crack. “Chief, you have to eat.”

“…’m not hungry.”

“I’m not fighting you on this. You’re eating, end of discussion.”

“… When did you get all domineering and grown up?”

“When you needed it. Wash your hands and come downstairs. I made Spaghetti-Os and grilled cheese.”


	21. Rough Times

Scry was a thin lanky person who wore large, round glasses. They had a lab coat and apron on over a hoodie and track pants. Their hair was tied back in a wild mess, covered by a hair net. They smiled enthusiastically when they saw Susan, pulling her up a chair before scooting away on theirs.

“Have a seat pet! Come, come sit!” they babbled, grabbing a footrest that looked like a large beetle and pushing it next to the chair. Susan stood at the door, holding her stomach protectively.

“...W-what is this room?”

“This is my lab dear~. Don’t worry, I agree with you. I’m not going to touch you, just have a seat.”

Susan quietly shuffled to sit down, putting her feet on the little stool.

“So, I hear you don’t remember anything at all?” Scry asked, going back to their computer. They didn’t seem angry or upset, more curious.

“N-no… No, I don’t… please, what is this place?”

“Well, I can’t tell you. It’ll mess with the process you see. But… Basically, we’re trying to fix a problem.”

“W-what kind of problem?”

“Spoilers honey, spoilers~” They kicked off from their desk and bumped into a fridge.

“… When can I go home?” Susan asked softly.

“O-oh dear pet… Well… well, I’m afraid you can’t.”

“C-can’t?!” Susan felt tears well up and flow. Scry took her a box of tissues, gently rubbing her shoulder.

“There there pet, it’ll be alright…” They plucked a few tissues and dabbed her cheeks. “I know it’s all scary and awful. But it’ll be alright.”

“What do you mean?! I’m being held here against my will, and I’m being told I’ll never get to go home again!”

“I know… I know, pet…” Scry gave her a small smile, “But it’s either this or the cells I’m afraid.”

“T-the cells?”

“It’s where we keep those we need for later.”

“… Why does everyone think I can program? I don’t know how too…”

Scry sighed softly, pulling up a screen for her. They typed in the login, waiting for it to load.

“Give it another 5 minutes. If you don’t remember by then, I’ll see if I can kick start it. Would you like some tea?”

\---

Smith sighed softly, tapping at his computer. It was weird not having Chief next to him. It was even weirder working a case without him. It obviously wasn’t the first time. He did have that case when he first started, with his childhood best friend. But since they got to this strange coloured world, they had hardly been apart.

“Hey, pup,” said Beattie with a soft smile.

“Hey, how’re you?” he said with a soft smile.

“… Better than you look. Bought you a mocha. Like a hot chocolate but with caffeine.”

“Ooh~” Smith turned to take the drink, taking a small sip. He immediately recoiled.

“Oof, that didn’t go down well…” Beattie sighed.

“It’s fine. I just hate the flavour of coffee,” Smith said, taking another sip, “I do need the energy though.”

“… Is everything ok?” Beattie asked softly.

“I mean… no?” Smith said plainly.

“Right. Dumb question. How’s your face?”

“Better… better,” Smith sighed softly, “I’m sorry, Beattie. I’m really not in a talkative mood. Mind if we catch up later?”

“Oh…. Of course, pet. Of course.” Beattie awkwardly shuffled to the side.

“Uh… Beattie?” Smith called after her.

“Yeah?”

“…Thank you. For the drink. I really appreciate it.”

\---

Chief sat on Susan’s childhood bedroom floor. The paint still had faded spots where posters once where. A few hooks for fairy lights remained in the ceiling. There was likely once a desk against the far wall, judging by how the carpet was dented. He rested his head against the wall, sighing softly. A small shiver raced up and down his back like an 8th-grade jock during the PACER Test.

“Hey, honey,” Jillian said softly, carrying a tray in for him, “I bought you something to eat.”

“… Oh… yeah, thanks…” he said softly. She placed the tray next to him, sitting across with a soft sigh.

“I know it feels like the world is ending, but this isn’t the first time she’s gone missing.”

“What do you mean?” Chief asked, looking up at her.

“When she was eight, her father decided he suddenly wanted custody. Picked her up from the side of the street. She hadn’t even met him before. She waited until he fell asleep and called the police to come get her.”

“… Resourceful as a child as she is as an adult.”

“The second time was when she was in college. She disappeared without a word for three weeks during her spring break. Came back and said she just got lost.”

“… How many times has she gone missing?”

“In total? Including this, four. Last time was a few years ago. Disappeared for nearly four months. Said she had training for a new job, and that her letter telling us where she was just got… lost in the mail.”

“… Of course. I fall in love with the one woman who gets kidnapped so regularly that she doesn’t bother to mention it anymore…”

“Be fair, Michael. People who get kidnapped once usually don’t mention it either.”

Chief sighed, taking a small sandwich from the plate with a nod.

“Yeah… guess they don’t.”

Jillian gave him a soft smile.

“You might as well talk to me, Michael. Sitting up here by yourself is just going to make you feel worse.”

“I deserve to be alone.”

“Michael…”

“No, I do. I hurt the one person who stood by me through thick and thin. I can’t even face him right now and I’ve done nothing but cause more trouble since.”

“You staying here is not trouble Michael. Might as well put all the suffering under one roof.”

“… She’s your daughter. You have every right to be freaking out. How are you so calm?!”

“Because… I know she will always find her way back.”


End file.
